The Essential Black Bag : Large Tote by Tommy Hilfiger

Why? Because I’ve been getting some sweet e-mails from readers letting me know that they appreciate all the time and effort that I’ve been putting into my website lately!

I’m glad that people are noticing that I am really putting forth a lot of effort for this! 🙂

Today I have another installment of the “New in My Closet” series – and that is the Essential Black Bag.

However, this is a little special, because it’s the Essential Black Bag FOR LESS!

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for splurging on pieces that you know you’ll get a lot of use out of, but I decided to go a different route.

Lately I’ve been in and out of love with the purses I do own, and I change my style and preferences for bags frequently, so after my two big purchases (my Louis Vuitton and my Rebecca Minkoff), I decided to pass on bag splurging, and get pieces that are quality, but not necessarily a major name brand with a MAJOR price tag!

Before we get started let me give you my theory behind purses –

A designer bag is justified when you know you’ll get a lot of use out of it.

If it is super trendy at the moment, and not a classic piece, I usually pass right away. I want that $500+ to last me!

I never purchase bags at Target or other stores like that because they often are around the $30-40 price range, but they quickly fall apart.

When I get bags that aren’t from designer department stores, I prefer them to be from stores like Nordstrom Rack or even Marshall’s. You’re getting good quality, but at a GREAT discount!

So what’s my new bag?

This amazing find is the Large Tote by Tommy Hilfiger!

Originally, this bag will run you about $100 if purchased directly from Tommy, but at Marshall’s I was able to purchase it for $29.99!

That’s a $70 savings on a great essential piece!

I went on the hunt for a black bag a couple of weeks ago.

I had sold the only black bag that I owned, which was an older hobo-style canvas bag from Coach.

I was in the market for something simple and something that wasn’t canvas.

I really love that the leather/faux leather bags can be wiped clean without a fuss.

I had been looking at regular stores as well as department stores, and then I just decided that I will save the $200-300 I would spend on a tote from Michael Kors or Tory Burch, and hunt for something practical.

I love that this bag is sleek, that was it’s number one selling point in my opinion. It’s understated, spacious, and something that I can pair with any outfit. It has no hardware (which is a good and a bad thing, because I do like a little accent of it!) but that makes it easy to accessorize. If you are the type of person who doesn’t like to mix and match the tones in the metals of your hand bags/jewelry, a hardware-less purse is a great option.

I find myself gravitating to and from larger bags, but I knew I wanted a larger tote when I was shopping for my essential black bag. This is probably the largest purse I own!

I do have a Coach multi-purpose tote that is MASSIVE, and I believe it ranks right up there with this Tommy Hilfiger tote!

The space can be a good and bad aspect as well. While I’m able to fit all I need, I may find myself frustrated later, unless I keep myself organized!

So now that you’ve seen my bag, and my rules of thumb for purse shopping –

What are your rules of thumb when shopping for fashion?

Do you splurge on the essentials, or the trendy pieces?

How do you justify a hefty purchase?

Leave it all in the comments below, I always love to see the opinions of my readers!